24 THE QUEENS COURIER • SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
After primary win, Ramos looks to continue movement to Albany
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/ @jenna_bagcal
Jessica Ramos emerged victorious in
the Sept. 13 primary for New York’s 13th
State Senate district.
The candidate beat out incumbent
Photo by Jenna Bagcal/THE COURIER
Cruz Assembly victory a reminder of a broken political machine
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH
adomenech@schnepscomm.com
@AODNewz
Th e bar and dance fl oor of Club
Evolution in Jackson Heights were packed
last night with chatty and excited supporters
of Catalina Cruz, the Colombianborn
DREAMer that beat incumbent Ari
Espinal in the Democratic primary for
state assembly.
Cruz is the third DREAMer to be elected
to offi ce and for many of her voters,
her win represents the end of the Queens
political machine.
“Th is is the end of a chain of topdown
politics with the replacement of a
bottom-up movement,” said Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez, who stopped by the venue
to congratulate Cruz on her victory.
Cruz was raised in Queens aft er coming
to the borough at the age of nine and
became a citizen in 2009. She has raised
by a single mother who worked multiple
jobs to make ends meet. Many of Cruz’s
supporters last night said that one of the
main reasons they felt such a connection
with the assemblywoman was because of
her work ethic. According to Cruz, she
worked 40 hours a week in college and in
law school.
During her time as a civil servant and
lawyer in the Cuomo Administration and
the offi ce of City Councilmember Julissa
Ferrera-Copeland Cruz fought for workers’,
immigrant and tenant rights.
“Th is is a local way to push back
against Trump,” said New York City
Councilmember Daniel Dromm of Cruz’s
win. Cruz decided to start her state assembly
campaign once she felt that her community
and the causes she had fought for
were threatened by President Trump.
Senator and former IDC member
Jose Peralta in his bid for re-election.
According to results from the New York
Board of Elections, Ramos gained 12,181
of the votes while Peralta gained 10,021
votes from district voters.
Since 2010, Peralta has been the incumbent
Senator for District 13, which
includes the neighborhoods of Jackson
Heights, Corona, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst,
Woodside and Astoria.
Hundreds gathered at Ramos’ results
watch party at Barilles Restaurant and
Sports Bar in Jackson Heights. Her family,
friends and supporters erupted in cheers
and chanted “Jessica” as the offi cial results
were reported on the televisions.
Also in attendance at the celebration
were elected offi cials including
Councilmen Costa Constantinides and
Jimmy Van Bramer, NYC Comptroller
Scott Stringer and City Council Speaker
Corey Johnson, all of whom had been canvassing
and supporting Ramos throughout
her campaign.
Aft er last Th ursday’s win, Ramos told
QNS that she was “excited” and “determined”
to accomplish the goals and do the
work that she set out to do from the very
beginning.
“It’s all about all of the work that we
need to do right now — about building on
the foundation of the movement, the coalition
that we built, every corner of this district
that we touched, every neighborhood,
every ethnicity,” Ramos said. “Making
sure that we’re talking for the working
class, fi ghting to make sure that the train
works, that rent reform makes it possible
for us to continue to make Queens a home,
putting our children fi rst. Th at’s the work
that’s ahead.”
When asked what she would be doing
for her campaign between now and the
November general election, her response
was “stay tuned.”
Before entering the senate race, Ramos
served as Mayor Bill de Blasio’s aide from
2016 to 2017. Her job as director of Latino
media was to inform the nearly 2 million
Spanish-speaking individuals in New York
about government initiatives and services.
In her celebratory speech, Ramos said
that though she enjoyed her time working
at City Hall with the mayor, she felt it
was time for her to return to the district
in which she was born and raised and do
work for the people there.
“I was having a ball at City Hall, I was
really enjoying my job. But sometimes it’s
time to come home and make sure that
your community is taken care of,” she said.
Ramos centered her campaign around
being a “real Democrat” in response to
Peralta’s former IDC status. Th e IDC were
a group of Senate Democrats who broke
away and caucused with the Republican
party. Other IDC challengers unseated
their opponents in the primary, including
John Liu who beat out Queens District
11 Senator Tony Avella. In her victory
speech, Ramos recognized the group “No
IDC New York” for their work in helping
her and others win against a “turncoat
Democrat.”
In a statement, Peralta confi rmed his
support for Ramos and stated the importance
of achieving a Democratic majority
in the Senate.
“I’m committed to doing what I’ve
always said I wanted to accomplish —
achieving a working Democratic Majority
in the New York State Senate, and just
as important, a Democratic majority in
Congress so that we can stand up to
this White House,” Peralta said. “If we
want to move New York forward, all
Democrats must work together. In that
spirit, I will be supporting Ms. Ramos in
the general election, and I will assist her
in whatever capacity to ensure a smooth
transition so that our constituents do
not go without the vital services they
depend on.”
Th e general elections are on Tuesday,
Nov. 6, when Ramos will be running
uncontested for the Senate seat.
Jessica Ramos and her father at her victory celebration in Jackson Heights.
Primary results
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